Maxwell Ketchum: What started it All
by GamingFictions2013
Summary: Join Max and friends as he ventures to become a Pokemon Master! Co-written with ManWithAnImagination. ME AND MANWITHANIMAGINATION DO NOT OWN POKEMON, DELIA KETCHUM OR GIOVANNI! They go to their rightful owners. Max Ketchum and Davis Richland are my own creation.


** [Hey guys! GamingFictions2013 here! I have teamed up with ManWithAnImagination, to make this fanfiction! This is where it all began before Ash became a Pokemon Trainer! It is about Ash's father, Maxwell or Max. So sit back, relax and enjoy reading!]**

Maxwell Ketchum

-The Legacy Begins!-

As he got nervous, Maxwell Ketchum got even more excited. He had such mixed emotions right now as he was heading to Professor Oak's lab. After a long 10 years, he was finally old enough to become a trainer, and hoping later on in the future, a master. Pallet town was quiet and peaceful, not a cloud in the sky as the early minute golden sunlight shined down over the mountains.

"It's so beautiful..." Max thought. The wind wasn't but a trickle as it brushed through his raven black hair. He was ready for anything; making new friends along the way, catch his own Pokemon, and even have his own rival. He had no idea what the future awaited him, however, he was so certain that he going to have the best time of his life once he got his starter and taken his first step onto Route 1.

As he approached closer to the lab, the excitement continued to build up within him and had to hold back the urge to burst through the door. "Good morning, Professor Oak!" Max greeted. As he stepped inside, he noticed the Professor at the very back of the lab in front of a wooden table with his back turned towards him.

Having heard his voice, Oak turned around and smiled brightly. The Professor wore his usual white lab coat with a red undershirt, tanned slacks and flip-flops. His trimmed hair was chocolate brown and his eyes were dark. "Ah, good morning to you," he welcomed, "You must be Maxwell Ketchum. I have heard quite a bit about you from your father."

Max nodded. "It's very exciting to be here, Professor."

"Why, I'm sure it is!" The forty year old exclaimed, gesturing to the table which held three Pokeballs. "I heard you were going here to be a Pokemon Trainer, and I've been preparing for your arrival." The two walked up to the table and Professor Oak grabs the first Pokeball on the right. "Now it's time to meet your partner for your journey!"

The first Pokemon to show was a small, quadruped frog-like creature with green or bluish-green skin and dark patches. Its thick legs each end with three sharp claws. Its eyes have red irises, while the sclera and pupils are white. The Pokemon had a pair of small, pointed teeth visible when its mouth is open. It has a bulb on its back, grown from a seed planted there at birth.

The second Pokemon Oak released was a bipedal, reptilian Pokémon with an orange body, though its underside and soles are cream-colored. It has two small fangs visible in its upper and lower jaws and blue eyes; its arms and legs are short with four fingers and three clawed toes. A small fire burns at the tip of this Pokémon's slender tail.

The third and final Pokemon was a small blue turtle large brown eyes and a slightly hooked upper lip. Each of its hands and feet has three pointed digits. The end of its long tail curls inward. Its body is encased by a tough brown shell.

All three starters looked up curiously at Max as Oak reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat red rectangular prism device and held it out to him, "Here is your Pokedex. You know what they say: the early bird gets the worm. And since you've taken the privilege of arriving at such an early hour, I believe it is fair that you get the first pick before the others arrive."

Maxwell did not know who "the others" were, but he was too fixated on the Pokemon in front of him and didn't even bother thinking about it. Taking the device with a, "thank you," he opened it up and scanned each Pokemon individually from left to right.

**Bulbasuar- the seed Pokemon: A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. The plant sprouts and grows with this Pokemon.**

**Charmander- the lizard Pokemon: Obviously prefers hot places. When it rains, steam is said to spout from the tip of its tail.**

**Squirtle- the tiny turtle Pokemon: After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. Powerfully sprays foam from its mouth.**

Once he had finished scanning over the three starters, Maxwell looked up at the older man curiously. "Umm, Professor, there's something I'd like to ask."

Professor Oak narrowed his eyes for a split second before it was replaced with a polite smile. "Well, ask away!"

The younger boy scratched his head awkwardly. "Ok, so… it's just that I, uh…" his gaze fell to the three Pokemon in front of him and then back to the Professor, "I wanted to know if there was possibly another Pokemon that I could choose from." Max felt his face heat up slightly as soon as he'd finished what he'd said.

The man was stunned at what the boy had asked, and after a moment he said, "Hmm, why do ask that?" he gestures back down to the starters beside him. "What I have here are the three finest Pokemon a trainer could ask for. Unless you're talking about going out and catching one out in the wild, you most likely won't be able to do that without another Pokemon to begin with."

Maxwell nodded sheepishly. "Yes sir, I know, it's just that…" he took a deep breath. "That's just it. Almost every new trainer who'd turned ten had come here and choose the same of one the three starters. I want to do something different. I want to have a companion that I can truly call my own and not have to be forced to choose for the sake of having any type of advantage over obstacles that I can actually _work _through. It's nothing against you or the Pokemon you have, I promise." He pursed his lips. "I just don't like to take the easy road."

Oak's expression was unreadable for a moment until his cheeks crept into a grin. "So you want to be an underdog, eh?"

Max swallowed. "Yes, sir."

"Oh, you don't need to call me sir!" The professor exclaimed, "Since the day I had dedicated my life to studying Pokemon, I had been waiting day after day for a Trainer such as what you're about to become to say something like that!" The man returned each of the starters to their Pokeballs and said, "Give me one moment."

The Professor turned and disappeared through another door into what Max believed was a backroom. It took a little more than a minute, but soon enough Oak returned and closed the door behind him; holding what looked to be another Pokeball in his hand. "This is a Pokemon that my daughter had found and caught in the woods." He held it to Max, who took it gingerly. "And I believe you'll get exactly what you want out of this one."

Maxwell did not know what he'd meant by his last statement, but instead of asking, Max tossed up the ball and a flash of light erupted from it; revealing a short, chubby rodent Pokémon. It is covered in yellow fur, and its ears are long and pointed with black tips. It has a small mouth, brown eyes, and two red circles on its cheeks. Its forearms are short, with five fingers on each paw, and its feet have three toes. It has two brown stripes on its back, and its tail is in the shape of a lightning bolt with a patch of brown fur at the base

"Pi-ka-chu!" The Pokemon exclaimed as it stretched.

"Hmm…" Max hummed, scanning it with the Pokedex.

**Pikachu- the mouse Pokemon: When several of these Pokemon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.**

"Whoa."

As it began to comprehend that it had been released from its Pokeball, the Pikachu's cute and fuzzy face quickly turned into a deep growl and glowered at the older man. "Piiiii…"

"Uhh, Professor," Max said nervously, "What's the matter with it?"

"Well," the professor answered, completely unfazed with the Pikachu's threatening snarl, "about a couple months after my daughter had captured this unique creature from the woods, she no longer had the sufficient funds to take care of it. And so, the Pikachu had grown too attached to civilization and didn't want to return to the wild. With no other choice, she had to leave him with me to take care of. But mostly, it'd spent its time in its Pokeball and didn't want to come out unless she was there. If it would understand…"

"Understand what, Professor?"

Oak waved the question aside. "Never mind that. You said you wanted to start from scratch, did you not?"

"Um, no, I didn't exactly say-."

"Maxwell," Oak crossed his arms, "I am not asking you to reconsider what you want to do. No, I am asking you as a _favor _for me." His face became slack and his shoulders sagged. "There is almost nothing I can do for Pikachu as far as him staying here. And what is the point the in keeping it if all it wants to do is stay in its Pokeball?" He shook his head. "Max, I ask you- no, I _plead _for you to take this Pikachu. Help guide it and understand the connotation of the outside world. No matter the struggle, no matter the obstacles, no matter how much it _hates _you… please, give this Pokemon a reason to live outside of its containment. If I cannot find any other way, then… I'll have no choice but to release it. Permanently."

Max's gut churned at what the Professor had explained to him. He understood the importance of what Oak was asking from him, but he never expected to receive this much responsibility. Now, he no longer had the desire to taking this Pikachu for the sake of doing something different Instead, for the goodwill of both Professor Oak and the Pokemon, Maxwell announced, "I'll do it."

Oak raised a brow, "Are you sure?"

The raven-haired boy nodded. "Like I said, I don't like to take the easy road."

The Professor yipped in joy, "Fantastic! Thank you very dearly, Mr. Ketchum."

Max knelt down and the Pikachu turned on him, its cheeks sparking with electricity. "Hi, Pikachu!" He greeted with a big smile, "I'm Maxwell, but you can call me Max!"

He opened up his arms and proceeded to hug the yellow mouse. And right as he came into contact with it, the Pikachu squirmed and bellowed, "CHUUUUUUUU!" and released a volt of electricity. Max yelped as he was shocked and fell backwards. Pikachu brushed itself off and made a noise as though it were laughing.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Oak informed, "Pikachu's ability is Static. It can be quite handy and paralyze anyone or anything who makes physical contact with it."

"Now you tell me…" Maxwell stuttered. He was not ever one to be negative and always kept on the positive side of things. Sitting up, Max sat up and cautiously patted the mouse's head. "We're going to put that Static to good use, Pikachu! One day, you and I will become stronger and we'll show everybody how good of a team we are!"

"Pika…" It warned. Max briskly retracted his hand to prevent from being shocked again. It was good to be optimistic, but sometimes it's better to be smart about things like those.

"Here," Professor Oak said, handing out five shrunken Pokeballs in one hand, and a blue badge case in the other, "these are all the things you need to start your adventure as a Pokemon Trainer."

Standing up, Max tentatively accepted the items and placed them in his bag. "Thanks, Professor!" Looking back down at Pikachu's Pokeball, he noticed a lightning symbol above the release button on the container. "What does this bolt on the Pokeball mean, Professor?" He asked, turning the ball for Oak to see.

"Ah, that!" Oak laughed, "It's just a way for me to tell which Pokemon's which, you know? Since I have a whole lot of others I'm supposed to keep track of."

The young trainer nodded in understanding. "Ok, Pikachu. I know you want to go back into your Pokeball, but I think we'll get to know each other better if we walked together. What do you say?"

**H-H-H-H-H**

"Piiiiiikaaaaaa…"

"Come on, Pikachu," Max droned, "It's not going to make it any easier if I have to drag you like this."

"Kachu!" The electric mouse barked.

"Uh, I have no idea what you just said, but I don't think I want to know." He tugged harder on the leash he'd borrowed from the Professor, who'd gone out to prepare for the other trainers to pick up their own starters. "I know you'd rather be in your Pokeball, but unless you work with me here, it's not going to happen."

The mouse Pokemon resisted much harder than before, forcing Maxwell to plant his feet onto the hard tiles and tugged even harder. Then without warning, Pikachu leaped toward the young trainer; causing the boy to stumble backwards from the tension he'd built up and fell on his rump. "Ow!"

"Pi- pika!" The electric type laughed.

"Very funny." Max grumbled, then sighed. "Might as well get something to eat for the long road ahead of me." Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a chocolate flavor energy bar and began to peel back the wrapper until he noticed the Pikachu eying it conspicuously. "Are you hungry?"

"Ka…" it murmured.

Max broke off a piece of the energy bar and held it out. "You want to try a bite?" Pikachu looked at the boy in suspicion for a moment before cautiously moving forward and sniffed the piece of candy in his hand. "Give it a try. I promise I'm not trying to poison you. Besides, I think you'll actually like it.

The Pokemon was not entirely convinced, but eventually it edged its head forward and took the piece of food into its mouth. It chewed slowly for a minute, and its faced lightened up and chewed faster before swallowing. "Pikachu!"

The boy smiled, "So you like chocolate, huh?"

"Pika!"

An idea popped into mind. "You want more?"

"Chu!" the electric mouse piped and leaped onto Max's lap to get another bite. However, Max held the energy bar up in the air out of reach.

"If you want more, you have to come outside with me." Pikachu's elated face quickly turned into a ferocious expression as though it looked to kill, and its cheeks sparked. Maxwell knew where this was going, and his face became resilient and quickly said, "And if you try to shock me, I'll smash your Pokeball and you'll never get a single bite. _Ever._"

The Pikachu stopped suddenly as though the message went clean through to it. He felt bad for having to threaten the Pokemon like that, and since the Pokeball was all where it wanted to be, the young trainer had to try something in order for the mouse to comply.

"Kachu." It muttered, backing off of Max's lap.

The boy said softly, "Here," he leaned forward to take off the collar and leash, and the Pikachu showed no sign of resisting. "I don't want to keep doing this with you. When I said that I wanted to be your friend, I didn't mean it like this." He rubbed his eyes. "I wish I could hear what you were thinking…" he then shrugged, "well, Pikachu, whatever it is, the only thing you and I can do now is learn to trust each other. Do you know what I mean?"

Pikachu's ears perked up and it turned to make eye contact with its trainer. "Chu?"

Max smiled, "Yeah, because I'm the one who's going to take care of you!" He climbed up and sat on his knees in front of the Pokemon. "I honestly can't say how your last owner was like, but Pikachu, if you could just learn to trust me, I promise- I _swear _it to you that I will be the best trainer a Pokemon could ask for." He held out his right hand as if to shake its hand. "Plus, I'll make sure to buy more of those delicious chocolate bars."

Pikachu still did not seem persuaded by everything Maxwell had told it, but it seemed slightly swayed with the promise the boy had made to him. The young trainer wanted to do whatever it took not to go down the trail of forced obedience rather than free will. There was a difference between a trail that be extremely rough and another with the same terrain but with no purpose or moral. So no matter how bad the road will become, Max was determined to make the best out of all of it.

The Pokemon finally nodded once, and Max stood. "Alright, buddy. Are you ready to go on an adventure?"

**H-H-H-H-H**

As Maxwell Ketchum walked out of Professor Oak's lab, and to his relief, with Pikachu right behind him, all the sudden there was outbursts of cheers of what sounded to be young girls. Max was temporarily blinded by the brightness of the now fully-risen sunlight and for the moment he'd thought there had been a paparazzi waiting for him outside.

But the idea was quickly diminished when the girl's voices shouted, "Look! It's Giovanni!"

"Oh my gosh, here he comes!"

"EEEEEEK, he's so handsome!"

Looking to his right, Max had to hold back the urge grumble. Of course, Giovanni, one of the most popular and richest kids in Pallet Town who was now about twenty yards down the trail and walking towards the Pokemon Lab where he and the girls waited. Like some of the girls said, with his short dark brown hair, tall lean body and squared face, Maxwell had to admit, at least he wasn't hideous.

The truth was is that Max had no authentic reason to hate Giovanni. Other than the fact that, yes, he was popular, there was just something about the boy that made his muscles tighten. He was never really mean to anybody, but there were rumors about Giovanni's mother being some sort of psycho witch who'd treated Pokemon harshly. But that didn't compare to the gossip about her being the leader of Team Rocket, which Max had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.

Giovanni wasn't really a bad person, as far as he could tell, but the older, stronger boy had quite a temper. There was this one story floating around about when had once beat up another boy because he was treating his Pokemon so poorly. But what really on Maxwell's nerve was the fact that Gio has a pretty thick fuse, yet if you're able to set it ablaze, the consequences wouldn't end up well for you.

But regardless of any of that, Max could only gaze with a watchful eye as the older boy stopped and became surrounded with squealing girls and fans; standing there patiently as the crowd pelted him with question after question.

"What starter are you going to choose?"

"What gym are you going to challenge first?"

"Would you happen to be single by any chance?"

Maxwell bit down on his tongue to keep from laughing out loud. They are all ten, for goodness' sakes, he thought. What was it that made girls so crazy about guys? Or vise-versa for that matter? Sure, whenever people would grow older, couples would start building up relationships for each other, but at a time like this, thoughts like these had never crossed Max's mind and the only goal he had to achieve was becoming a Pokemon Master. So what more could you possibly need?

Pikachu, who clearly did not relish the amount of people that were there, tugged at Max's pant sleeve. "Ka-Pika!"

Looking down, the trainer said thoughtfully, "You don't like all these people here too, don't you?" The electric mouse nodded in confirmation. Maxwell sighed, "Well then, I guess it's fair for you to stay in your Pokeball until we're out in the clear. But after that, you're going to have to learn to deal with other people. Got it?" The rodent was tetchy for a second before it nodded reluctantly. The boy pulled out its Pokeball, "OK then, return."

Meanwhile, Giovanni smiled politely as he waved his arms above him to calm the paparazzi. "Everyone, please," he said attentively, "I'll try to answer your questions the best I can. And since you're all here, I have something that I'd like to share with you." The crowd's voices immediately subsided and back away to give everyone to see and listen as the boy continued, "to begin, I am only here at the lab today to announce that I will not be obtaining a Pokemon Starter." Outcries and uproars filled the air and Giovanni once again held up his hands to settle the crowd. "Instead, I have decided that I am going to try something a little different." Reaching into his handbag that he carried with him, the brown-haired kid retrieved a Pokeball into his hand and held it out for everyone to see.

"I think it is fair for all of you to know that I was supposed to go ahead to start my conquest for the gym badges several days ago, but it wouldn't have been right to do that and leave you all here to wait for me in this summer heat." Max rolled his eyes. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce to my friend, Meowth!" Tossing up the ball in the air, a white flash of light emits from the container to reveal a small, feline Pokémon with cream-colored fur that turns brown at the tips of its hind paws and tail. Its ovoid head features four prominent whiskers, wide eyes with slit pupils, two pointed teeth in the upper jaw, and a gold oval coin embedded in its forehead. Its ears are black with brown interiors, and are flanked with an additional pair of long whiskers.

"Meow!" the Pokemon purred, gazing up at the crowd with large wide eyes. Several girls awed and squealed as they knelt and petted the feline while the rest of the group, including only a couple of other boys in it, narrowed their eyes at the Pokemon then back up to Giovanni.

"Hey, Gio," one of them said questionably, "did you know there are other Pokemon out in the wild who probably have higher capabilities than _that_?"

The older boy crossed his arms in composure and beamed back at the kid who'd spoken. "Is that a fact or your own personal opinion?"

"Come on, man, everyone knows how weak those things are. Especially normal-."

"First of all," Giovanni interrupted crossly, "They are not _things. _Second, if you're not ever willing to take the time to help guide it and become stronger, then how could you possibly call yourself a Pokemon Trainer? And by exposing them to the field of combat, Pokemon can learn fairly quickly of the circumstances that can occur in a battle."

The boy opened his mouth to say something else but abruptly shut it. Max looked back at Giovanni, this time with admiration. He couldn't lie, he had to give it to the older lad for having the same idea of going down his own path despite what others had said. Strolling up to the group, Maxwell stood behind the girls who were petting the Meowth, pulled out his Pokedex and scanned it.

**Meowth- the Scratch Cat Pokemon: Meowth** **adores circular objects. It wanders the streets on a nightly basis to look for dropped loose change.**

Upon hearing the descriptions and information coming from the Pokedex, Giovanni turned to Maxwell. His eyes scanned over him for several seconds as though he'd recognized the younger boy and smiled, "Hey, I remember you! You're that boy from Professor Oak's Pokemon Summer Camp a couple of years ago. Monty, right?"

"Um," the raven-haired boy answered awkwardly, "it's Max. Maxwell Ketchum."

Giovanni raised a finger in recognition of the name. "Oh, yeah! I remember now! You're the son of the famous Johnathan Ketchum, aren't you?"

One of the other two boys snorted, "Yeah, and he's also the kid who'd gotten separated from the group and ended up lost in the woods at the camp."

Max's cheeks turned red. "It wasn't my fault! Bobby had told me we were supposed to be at the east pathway of the campus, not the west! And besides, I found my way back, didn't I?"

"Sure. After they'd called in a rescue team and park rangers to go and find you."

"That's enough," Giovanni sighed, eying Maxwell, "now then, I infer that since you have a Pokedex, you must've also gotten a starter Pokemon, correct?"

The younger boy swallowed. "Yeah, but…"

"But?" Meowth's trainer raised a brow.

"Well, you see, instead of the three traditional starters, I had gotten this Pokemon from Professor Oak." Mustering down his quavering nerves, Max reached into his pocket and withdrew a Pokeball, enlarged it, and tossed it into the air. "Come on out, Pikachu!"

The container burst open; creating a low pop as it released a flash of light and released the electric type Pokemon from its inhibition. Upon realizing it had been set free, and still surrounded by a group of squealing girls, Pikachu glared up at its trainer with looming eye and snarled, "Pika…"

In desperation to keep the Pokemon from going berserk and humiliating him in front of everyone, Maxwell kneelt down and smiled with as much composure as he could muster. Taking the oversized mouse in his arms nervously, he stood up and said optimistically, "This is my new partner, Pikachu! One of Professor Oak's family members had it for a little bit until they couldn't take care of it, but now it has me! So we're going to be best buddies from here on out, right Pikachu?"

"Oh my goodness!" a girl who'd noticed the electric type in his arms, hopped up, and began petting it vigorously. "It's _so _cute!"

"Hey!" another girl shoved the other aside, "let me have a chance to pet it!"

Both girls began elbowing each other vulgarly, "I got here first! Wait your turn!"

"You take forever, Tammy! All you do is take up space and people's time!"

"Well at least spend all of my free time daydreaming about you're stupid role model Ruskin Baler."

"_What did you just call my Baler?!"_

More girls began to get into the fray, shouting and arguing; some taking one side and some on the others. Pikachu, who'd became severally uncomfortable with what was going on around it, let out a frightened, "CHUUUUUUU!" And just like that, Maxwell, the group of girls, and even the two boys who'd tried in vain to break up the fight became eveloped in yellow electicity. Everyone including Max let out a yelp of all different tones and pitch until the Pikachu stopped suddenly and breathed heavily. And as soon the outbreak had ended, every single person with the exception of Giovanni stood rigid with their hair sticking straight out.

"I…" the girl named Tammy stammered feebly, "I think I'm gonna go home now…"

"Yeah, me too." Another girl included.

"It's starting to get hot out here."

"My parents want me to be home by breakfast anyway."

Breaking out of their minor and temporary paralysis, the entire group including the two boys began to slowly shuffle their way back down the trail where Giovanni had come from, who watched them go and chuckled, "Well, at least now I don't have to worry about a paparazzi following me through the entire first route." He set his eyes back on Max. "So your Pokemon knows Thunder Shock. That can become very handy since it has a high chance of paralyzing a foe. Although from what I just saw, it isn't strong enough to subdue even a frail person like them," he nodded towards the departing group.

Pikachu hopped back onto the ground as Maxwell shook his head and flattened his hair back to normal. "Well in that case," he began confidently, "what do you say that you and me have a battle to start off our journey then? My Pikachu against your Meowth."

The raven-haired boy gazed eagerly at Giovanni, who tapped his chin and switched his gaze between him and the electric mouse for a moment before announcing, "No."

Max's chin dropped slightly, "Why not?" he demanded.

The older boy's narrowed his eyes at the Pikachu in front of him, squatted, and answered, "You're not ready."

Abruptly taken back by the statement, Maxwell stammered, "What are talking about? You said it yourself that Pokemon can only learn to get stronger in a battle! So how is Pikachu supposed to-?"

"You are right," Giovanni held up a hand unwearyingly, "I did say that. _However _that is not what I meant. I wasn't talking about Pikachu. I was talking about him _and_you."

The younger boy crossed his arms stubbornly. "Then could you explain what you meant?"

"What I mean is," the older trainer began, "your partner doesn't trust you enough to obey a single command in battle."

Maxwell gawked, "Wha-, how would you even know that? You never even seen us battle- we didn't even _have _a battle yet! So why can't we just see and actually know for sure?"

Giovanni shook his head, "So bold, yet rash and foolish," he muttered to himself. "Don't you get it? The worst thing that could ever possibly happen in a battle is when a Pokemon is unable to carry out orders from its trainer. Whether it's intentionally, or when it is unwillingly incapable of hearing; much less obeying an instruction." The brown-haired boy pointed a finger north-west of where Max was facing. "I'm certain that your father, or maybe your mother, had told you about what had happened at the Pokemon League almost twenty years ago, didn't they?"

Maxwell nodded silently.

"When that trainer's Machamp was hit by that Water Pulse, it had done some very serious damage on the Pokemon's vision and its ability to tell from objects, people, and other Pokemon and went on a complete rampage. Its trainer tried desperately to tell it to snap out of its confusion, and had almost got severely injured in the process. It took nearly a dozen emergency and rescue Pokemon to bring it down before it'd gotten anyone else hurt. Later on, they discovered that the Machamp did hear everything its trainer was trying to say, but it was almost completely certain that everything around it was trying to hurt it. Therefore, it did not want to listen."

As Max, and even Pikachu, had listened to everything Giovanni had said, the older boy picked up its Meowth and raised his head up high. "I promise you that it is nothing personal. In fact, I am doing you a favor. There will be plenty of people out there who will try to help you and give advice, and all you have to do is stop and listen. So just think on that for a little bit before you even get on the road."

All Maxwell could do was beam at the rich popular kid with grudging eyes as he returned his Cat Pokemon back into its Pokeball and began heading north onto Route 1. He tried frantically to come up with something to say, but his mind was too clouded with resentment to even utter a word. But what really hit Max the hardest was the fact that Giovanni might actually be right. Despite Maxwell's happy-go-lucky disposition against any negative status quo, he knew deep inside that as long as Pikachu kept up with its self-centered dome and alienate itself away from the world, going on a Pokemon adventure would be similar to traveling halfway across the country to pick enough Oran barriers to feed your family without a basket.

Then something suddenly clicked inside him. Why should I listen and be told what to do by another beginning trainer? Max thought to himself. Besides, he'd chosen Pikachu instead of the three starters for the soul reason to teach it everything he had to offer to it. And no matter the blood and sweat he might go through, Maxwell Ketchum will fulfill his promise to Professor Oak that no matter the obstacle, he shall never give up in the pursuit of not only becoming the world's greatest Pokemon Trainer, but a better person as well.

"Pikachu…" the electric mouse, who had been dawdling around on the ground in front of him, gazed up at its master as he straightened his red and black streaked expo cap, took off and rummaged through his backpack and pulled out another chocolate energy bar, "let's eat up. We've got a long road ahead of us."

The sun had risen to full view by the time Maxwell and his partner, Pikachu, hustled north-west into an open field with patches of knee-high grass and trees which dotted here and there for miles over yonder. It was quite warm and toasty for an early morning, and every now-and-then the trainer would need to take off his hat to wipe his sweat-beaded head. Earlier up to the point when he'd given some food to his partner, Pikachu had continued to balk in its place and refused to go anywhere as it sat on the ground and munched down on its' treat. In an effort to avoid another demonstration of tugging and pulling, Maxwell had reached a compromise to allow the electric mouse to ride on his shoulder.

Max thought it'd been best that they didn't take the first route which lead directly to the next town for the soul purpose of avoiding an encounter with his soon-to-be rival Giovanni. But another reason for this is so that the young trainer can get a better chance at catching a wild Pokemon to join the effort to battle other trainers on the road and challenge the Gym Leader by the time he arrives back into civilization.

"Ok," the young trainer said enthusiastically to Pikachu, "the first thing we need to do is find a wild Pokemon for a practice battle before we try to catch one. So keep your eyes out."

"Pika," it said lazily as it proceeded to nibble on its food.

Wiping his eyes and looking around the empty, and inferably uninhabited field, Maxwell shook his head and muttered to himself, "Other than any bird Pokemon, what could possibly want to live here?"

There was a sudden rustle in the patch of grass to Max's right, and he only had just enough time to turn his head toward the source before a small dark figure about half of Pikachu's size leaped out the grass directly at him. Crying out of shock Maxwell stumbled back; tripping over his own feet and fell to the ground. Pikachu also let out a yelp in surprise as it fell from its' trainer's shoulder- with its energy bar flying out of its hands.

Max laid there on his back in a daze for several seconds until he pulled himself onto his elbows to see a small purple rat standing several feet away. Its mouth contained two large fangs with long whiskers and an extensive, slightly curled tail. It had purple fur on its back, and cream fur on its stomach. The Pokemon gazed at the two for a short moment with its red beady eyes until they fell upon the energy bar that Pikachu had dropped about a foot in front of it.

Its nose twitched as though it were smelling it, but it was quite clear what the rat Pokemon had in mind and Pikachu growled warningly, "Piiiiika…" The purple rat burst forward with astonishing speed; nabbing the chocolate bar in its maw before sprinting in the other direction. "Kachu!" The electric mouse bellowed as it got up and took after the thief.

"Pikachu, wait!" Max called with vain. "Stop!"

But Pikachu wouldn't listen. Hastily, the trainer got back on his feet and he too ran after the two Pokemon. What seemed like a mile but was realistically only a hundred yards, the purple rat made a sprint up a tree; its small claws digging into the bark as it pulled itself up with the food still in its mouth. Pikachu, who was hot on its tail, followed suit and had somehow managed to climb tree after it. The smaller Pokemon had taken refuge on a small, yet durable branch about fifteen feet above the ground. However, when it had climbed to the very end of the limb, it began to sway. Pikachu, who'd reached the same level, stood on the other side and was about ascent towards the thief until the crack of the limb stopped him in his tracks.

"Pikachu, stay where you are," Maxwell called as he tried to catch his breath. And for the first time, Pikachu actually seemed to listen as it retracted back to the base of the branch where it watched the purple rodent who snickered. Retrieving his Pokedex, the raven-haired boy turned it on to identify the food thief.

**Rattata- the mouse Pokemon: It bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places.**

"Why would they call it a mouse when it clearly looks like a rat? Maxwell asked himself. He gave an imaginary shrug. Nobody said science was perfect. Pikachu continued to glare at the Rattata from the short distance as the purple rat stuck its tongue out in mockery. "Don't let it antagonize you," Max warned, "Pikachu, just let it go. I can get you another-." If there really was any sign that showed the electric Pokemon had listened to its trainer before, it all ceased to exist as the Rattata opened its mouth to take a chunk of the candy bar.

Pikachu let out a bellowing, "CHUUUUUU!" as it sprang into the air towards the rat thief. Rattata squalled in bombshell as the larger rodent landed directly in front of it and the branch snapped.

"No!" Maxwell lunged forward with his arms open as both Pokemon tumbled through the air. However, he overestimated their trajectory; resulting in the Rattata bouncing off his head. His entire world spun and he fell forward facedown onto the ground. It was even a split second later until a larger and much heavier body fell on his back and knocked the wind out of his lungs. "OOMPH!" There was a small thump on the ground next to Max's head, and he knew that it was the candy bar that Rattatta had stolen and dropped.

But the chocolate bar was the least of the purple rodent's worries as it quickly scrambled back on its four legs and made a beeline back towards a large patch of grass. With Pikachu chasing after it, static electricity popped around its red cheeks as it began to build up power. The Rattata dove just as yellow electrical energy was released and scorched across the ground and grassland around it, and disappeared.

Burnt grass immediately invaded Max's nostrils and he sat up and looked at the yellow mouse with wide eyes as it stopped and took heavy breaths. A five-foot radius of the prairie where Pikachu had released its energy was charred with black burn marks.

Incredible, he thought. Even though electricity had zero effect on the ground, the heat alone was powerful enough to pull off a stunt like what had just occurred. "W-well," Max stuttered as he pushed himself, picked up the Pokedex he'd dropped and walked up to his Pikachu's side who was still keeping a keen eye on the grass that the Rattata had escaped through, "at least we won't have to worry about it coming back to steal our stuff, right?"

The Pokedex beeped.

**Rattata's tend to scout to look for food and normally live in large groups. If you see one, it is certain that 40 more live in the area.**

The hair on the back of Maxwell's neck stood straight up. "H-How many more are there?!"

As though it were on cue, chatters and clackers of snapping maws erupted several yards deep into the grass that the duo stood in front of. The leaves shifted and rustled even more, followed by the outcries of dozens of rodent Pokemon. "Rattata! Rattata! Ratt! Ratta!"

"Pika…" Pikachu gasped fearfully.

The young trainer's blood ran cold. "Uh oh," he murmured, then howled, "RUN!"

The electric mouse didn't need to be told this in the situation they were both now in. Turning the opposite direction, both trainer and Pokemon went into a sprint away from the grass just as large pack of angry Rattatas leaped out of grassy domain and gave chase. There were dozens, possibly a hundred of them. Max took a quick glimpse back. They were fast, but not fast enough. He was creating distance between them. However, Pikachu, who had used up a lot of its energy trying to attack a single rodent, was breathing heavily as it tried desperately to keep up. The rats were on him immediately. The larger yellow mouse cried out in pain as the pack of Rattata's swarmed him and bit down on the defenseless Pokemon.

"PIKACHU!" Planting his feet down and skidding a couple steps before coming to a complete stop, Max ran towards his partner and began throwing off any purple rat that was on top of it. "Get off of my friend, you filthy rodents!" The Rattatas then turned their attention on Maxwell, and then began to bite down on his feet while others climbed up his leg. "Ow! Ow! Stop, you're hurting him!" But the Pokemon wouldn't listen. Pushing down the agonizing bites, he scooped up Pikachu into his arms, shook off any rat that had climbed up on him, and ran whatever direction that would get him away from the pack.

His legs were numb with pain, but looking down at the yellow mouse who was now on the verge of unconsciousness stimulated the young boy to run faster. He had no idea where he was going now. No sense of time, no sense of direction, and the only thing that was on his mind was to get away and find help. "Hang in there, buddy," he gasped between breaths, "I swear I'll get you out of here. I promise."

Although Max was unaware of it, Pikachu's gaze at the boy turned from helpless and desperation to confusion. What's with it with this trainer? Since this morning, it had showed time after time again how much it did not want to be with him. And yet, after everything it had done to him, why does he continue to be so kind and caring despite all the hatred it had expressed?

Maxwell Ketchum had lost track of how long he'd been running, but the pack of Rattata's continuous pursuit refused to let up. Fatigue flooded his sight and he stumbled but was still somehow able to keep himself up and going. He needed to find a way to get away long enough to find help, and climbing a tree was definitely out of the equation considering he didn't have the energy and that the purple can climb a lot better than he ever could.

Then it was there before Max could even comprehend it. He staggered once more, and this time he was going down. He braced himself to hit the hard floor and await the horde of Rattata's to swarm them, but he kept on falling. Opening his eyes, Maxwell watched as a stream of water rose closer and closer towards them, and he clutched Pikachu even tighter as they plunged headfirst into the river.

The water was surprisingly cold; so surprising that Max suddenly had a burst of energy flow throughout his body and kicked back up to the surface. The current was strong; taking hold of the two and sweeping them downstream towards who-knows where. The Rattatas stopped at edge of the cliff, chattering in frustration and ran alongside in the continued pursuit. But the current was much faster as it pulled Maxwell and Pikachu around a corner and disappeared out of site.

**H-H-H-H-H**

After what seemed like years of trying to keep both of their heads above the water, the stream finally opened up into a giant lake the size of a football which was connected to many other creeks and rivers. With Pikachu in one arm and paddling with the other, Max managed to pull themselves back onto shore before they were able to get swept into the middle of the lagoon. His energy almost completely spent, he lied on his back with Pikachu lying at his side as both tried to catch their breath. They were now on the opposite side of the stream they'd come from, and from barely lifting his head, Maxwell recognized the lake they were now taking refuge in.

He used to come here all the time with his parents and friends to go swimming, and just past the trees and hill behind them was Viridian City which was probably a half-hour's walk from where they were. They almost there. Hope inflated in his chest until the familiar, deafening clatter came from a distance. The Rattata's were still after them.

"Get up, Pikachu," Max persisted, his voice at the brink of panic, "We're almost there. Just a little bit more."

"Ka…"

Struggling back up, the pair had only made it a few yards before an agonizing sharp pain coursed through Maxwell's right leg, forcing him down on his hands and knees with an tormenting, "Agh!"

"Pika!" the yellow mouse cried in distraught, to Max's surprise. To add more to his disbelief, Pikachu hobbled to his side and tugged on his wrist. "Chu! Pi-Pika!"

"It's no use," the raven-haired boy moaned, "I messed up my ankle too badly to walk." This was it. Maxwell Ketchum had reached reached his limit, and he knew this. The horde was getting closer and there was very little time left. There was only one thing left that he could now. "Pikachu…" The electric type watched in bewilderment as its trainer struggled off his bag, reached into it and withdrew a Pokeball.

Pikachu's Pokeball.

"Get into your Pokeball."

Pikachu's eyes went wide at what it had just heard its trainer said. "Pi?"

Max nodded. "They'll be here any second now. And when they do, I don't want to see you get hurt by them anymore. Just promise me you'll stay in there until it's safe." Now the Pokemon was becoming very desperate. This time, it shook its head.

"Kachu!" It said defiantly.

"Pikachu," he wailed, "I know I told you before it's not good to stay in your Pokeball, but you have to listen to me this time! Either do that, or get as far away from here as you can!"

The yellow mouse was paralyzed. Was this human actually willing to sacrifice himself for a common Pokemon? It didn't make any sense. How could it?

Without waiting for another reply, Maxwell gathered what strength he now had left onto his good leg and began to limp east away from Pikachu. "Over here, you filthy rodents!" He called out, his face hard with content, "come and get me!" As soon as he'd said this, the Rattatas emerged from the tree lines on the other side of the creek and headed straight towards him. They did not hesitate when they reached the edge of the water and simply dove and swam across it. The young boy simply stood there several yards away on the other side without a shred of fear in his eyes.

Seeing the look on the boy's face enough for Pikachu adhere. It sprinted forward; putting itself between its trainer and the Rattata's and began to summon all the power it had left within itself. The horde was about three-quarters of the way across, and upon witnessing what the electric type was about to do, they shrieked in a panic and started swimming the opposite direction.

"Pikachu?" Max said, his voice barely audible.

"Pi…ka…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" The blast of electricity was beyond anything Maxwell had ever seen before. Everything around Pikachu including him, the water and the horde of Rattatas became enveloped into an electric shock that none have ever experienced before. However, the trainer barely made a sound as his entire body went numb. The Rattatas on the other hand, screamed even louder as the water provided better conduction in the helps of electrocuting them.

And then it was over as quick as it had started. The purple rodent, who were somehow still conscious, feebily kept on swimming in the other direction until they reached back to shore and scampered into the woods. Maxwell remained standing for a moment as he watched Pikachu crumble where it stood, until he too fell down.

He laid there outstretched on the grass, his eyes paralyzed into looking at the sky high above him. He couldn't move. He didn't want to. His vision had become somewhat fuzzy, and then out of nowhere, a small pink object came into view above him over the treetops. He couldn't exactly make out what it was, other than the fact that it was pink with its snout is short and wide and it has triangular ears and large, blue eyes. It has three-fingered paws, large feet with oval markings on the soles, and a long, thin tail ending in an ovoid tip. It descended closer to him and was now able to distinguish its small oval head, short arms and stubby feet. The creature looked at Maxwell curiously with its dazzling blue eyes, observing him from head-to-toe. And then as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

A voice called out, but it seemed too muffled out for Max to comprehend and it wasn't one that he had recognized. The voice spoke out again, this time much closer. Then there was a boy's face looking down on him. He looked to be about his age, and the boy's neck-length silver hair reflected off the sunlight almost like a mirror. His sea-green eyes gazed down worriedly as he spoke out more inaudible words, yet Maxwell was still able to see what his lips were saying, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Max was only able to mumble one thing. "Pikachu…"

The boy seemed confused for a second until he realized what the raven-haired lad was saying. He turned his gaze down at Pikachu before looking back at him and said, "Ok, ok." With the silver-haired boy moving out of his sight to tend for his Pokemon, Maxwell once again had full vision of the sky and treetops, yet darkness began to overwhelm the rims of his eyes and made its way to the center until he reached the point of unconsciousness.

**H-H-H-H-H**

**[Hey guys! It's ManWithAnImagination here. GamingFictions2013 and I will be working very hard to bring you the story that started it all! With a lot of hard work and motivation, it would be a big help if you would drop a review and suggest things that could make this pre-Pokemon series a better experience for everyone! Thank you everyone in advance, and we both hope that you enjoy the adventure of Maxwell Ketchum!]**


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